DTS Play-Fi is a wireless multi-room sound system platform. It works by installing a free downloadable app on compatible iOS and Android smartphones and sends audio signals to compatible hardware. Play-Fi works over your existing home or mobile Wi-Fi.
Play-Fi applications provide access to select Internet music and radio streaming services as well as audio content that may be stored on compatible local network devices such as PCs and media servers.
Initial setup of Play-Fi is very simple. Please follow the steps below to get started.
Turn on your Play-Fi device. The Wi-Fi light should be on.
Turn on your smartphone. Then, search for the Play-Fi app by visiting the official DTS Play-Fi website, Google Play Store, Amazon App Marketplace, or iTunes. You can also download a version of the app on your PC if you're on the same Wi-Fi network as the speaker.
Download and install the application.
Once downloaded and installed, the DTS Play-Fi app searches for and allows connection of compatible playback devices, such as Play-Fi-enabled wireless-powered speakers, home theater receivers, and soundbars.
The DTS Play-Fi app can also install additional updates as needed.
Name your speaker and start playing music.
You can use the Play-Fi app on your smartphone to stream music to linked wireless-powered speakers, no matter where the speakers are located in your home. For compatible home theater receivers or soundbars, the Play-Fi app can stream music content to the receiver so you can hear it through your home theater system.
DTS Play-Fi can stream music from the following services:
- Amazon Music
- Diesel
- love radio
- webcast
- Yuk!
- KK box
- Napster
- NPR
- Pandora
- kobuz
- QQ Music
- Sirius/XM
- Spotify
- tidal
Some services are free, such as iHeart Radio and Internet Radio. Others may require an additional paid subscription for full access. Play-Fi can also stream uncompressed music files, often with higher quality audio over Bluetooth.
Digital music file formats compatible with Play-Fi include:
- MP3
- Acrylic
- Apple lossless
- Flack
- waveform
CD-quality files can also be streamed without any compression or transcoding. Compatible with higher-than-CD-quality high-resolution audio files when transmitted over a local network. This is called Critical Listening Mode, and it provides optimal listening quality by eliminating compression, downsampling, and unwanted distortion.
While Play-Fi can stream music to any single or designated group of wireless speakers, you can also set it up to use any two compatible speakers as a stereo pair. One speaker can be used as the left channel and the other speaker can be used as the right channel. Ideally, both speakers should be of the same make and model so that the left and right channels sound the same.
Another Play-Fi feature available on some soundbar products (but not on any home theater receiver) is the ability to send surround audio to selected Play-Fi-enabled wireless speakers. If you have a compatible soundbar, you can add any two Play-Fi-enabled wireless speakers to your setup and send DTS and Dolby Digital surround signals to those speakers.
In this type of setup, the soundbar acts as the main speaker, and two compatible Play-Fi wireless speakers serve as left and right surrounds.
The surround sound master device needs to have the following capabilities:
- Ability to decode 5.1 surround streams (such as Dolby Digital or DTS).
- Correct software and firmware support is installed.
- Supports Play-Fi functionality for accessing audio via analog or digital optical/coaxial inputs and the ability to distribute that audio to the appropriate speakers.
Check the product information for your soundbar or home theater receiver to determine if it includes DTS Play-Fi surround sound functionality or if it can be added through a firmware update.
In addition to using Play-Fi with select wireless speakers and home theater receivers, you can also use Play-Fi to connect to any device over Wi-Fi with a line-in option (HDMI, digital optical/coaxial, or analog). compatible smartphone and listen with headphones. This feature requires the Play-Fi Headphones app (iOS, Android) to be installed.
For best audio sync (especially audio from video sources), use plug-in headphones (if you have that option on your phone) rather than Bluetooth headphones.
Select DTS Play-Fi wireless speakers can be controlled by the Amazon Alexa voice assistant using the Alexa app.
A limited number of DTS Play-Fi products are smart speakers that contain the same type of built-in microphone hardware and voice recognition capabilities, allowing these products to perform all the functions of an Amazon Echo device in addition to DTS Play-Fi functionality.
Music services that can be accessed and controlled through Alexa voice commands include Amazon Music, Audible, iHeart Radio, Pandora and TuneIn Radio.
DTS Play-Fi is also available in the Alexa Skills library. This allows voice control of DTS Play-Fi features on Alexa-enabled DTS Play-Fi speakers using an Amazon Echo device.
DTS Play-Fi also supports Alexa Cast. This enables you to play and control music on selected Alexa-enabled DTS Play-Fi speakers directly from the Amazon Music app installed on your iOS or Android smartphone.
Product brands supporting DTS Play-Fi compatibility on select devices include wireless power and smart speakers, receivers/amplifiers, soundbars and preamps that can add Play-Fi to older stereo or home theater receivers Function:
- Acer
- Erics
- National anthem
- Arkham
- Authoritative technology
- plate
- Pioneer Elite
- Fusion research
- life value
- Integrate
- Klipsch
- Martin Logan
- McIntosh
- Enbridge
- example
- Forus
- pioneer
- Polk Audio
- Rotel
- Sonas Faber
- Thiel
- wren
Wireless multiroom audio is exploding, and while there are multiple platforms out there (such as Denon/Sound United HEOS, Sonos, and Yamaha MusicCast), DTS Play-Fi offers more flexibility than most because you're not limited to There is a limited number of playback devices or speakers of one brand or brand.
Because DTS stipulates that any product manufacturer can license its technology, you can mix and match compatible devices from a growing list of brands to fit your needs and budget.
DTS originally stood for Digital Theater System, reflecting the development and licensing management of the DTS surround sound format. However, due to expansion into wireless multi-room audio and other aspects, it changed its registered name to DTS (with no additional meaning) as its unique brand identifier. In December 2016, DTS became a subsidiary of Xperi Corporation.
FAQWon't. Sonos has its own competing wireless audio streaming technology that its products use in place of Play-Fi. Consider researching various wireless audio technologies to see which one is right for you.
Yes. If your device supports Play-Fi, you don't have to spend any money to use Play-Fi apps on compatible iOS, Android, and Windows devices.
